The Performance Driving Course of Aston Martin was designed to teach car owners in understanding the full capabilities of their vehicles and provide a controlled and safe environment. The course which makes better drivers has only been open to Aston Martin owners.

There is an Aston Martin driving course in Michigan in North America which has been running for four years now. The other two courses are in the United Kingdom and Belgium. Interested drivers can pay a fee of $2,500 for a one day course using any Aston Martin model from their current fleet.

The car manufacturer has also hired a driving administrator to assist the enrollees during the training. Aston Martin’s driving program provides one on one instruction to help drivers improve their skills behind the steering wheel.

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The F1 has been creating a buzz recently with major issues on KERS, budget, and Ferrari threatening to leave the F1 scene. F1 fans deserve a good news and it is quite a welcome site to see Aston Martin competing in the F1 circuit starting 2012.

Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 tycoon, revealed that Aston Martin will join the championship and will be welcomed as manufacturer entrant. Aston Martin will technically join F1 by next year under the banner of Prodrive. The rebranding to Aston Martin will happen by 2012.

The Aston Martin has collaborations with the McLaren F1 but the executives from Prodrive emphasized that the F1 car will be genuinely Aston Martin.

The budget cap proposal of Max Mosley served as catalyst to the entry of Aston Martin to F1. The issue resulted to threats from various manufacturers to withdraw from F1. The cap also triggered the interest of other manufacturers should it be enforced.

The budget cap is planned to be set to $50 million for every team. This opens the barriers for other manufacturers to enter the F1 scenario, deemed to be the ultimate of motorsport.

Aside from Aston Martin, USGPE and Lola are vying for the three spots on the 2010 F1 grid. There are also rumors that Hyundai and Kia formed an alliance to put a race car on the track. When the red lights go out on the 2010 F1 season, there will be 26 cars on the grid from 13 teams.

You are reading it right. Aston Martin is working with Toyota to develop a minicar coined Cygnet. A photo of the small hatchback with Aston Martin designers working on its final form leaks on the internet. The Cygnet is derived from the platform of the iQ minicar of the Japanese car maker. Production is expected to have a go by end of 2009.

The Cygnet will have a different look as it carries the Aston Martin badge. According to insiders, the car is being designed for European consumers and can be clearly differentiated from its older sibling the iQ minicar. Aston Martin has not given a hint about its price and production volumes.

The Toyota iQ from which the Cygnet will be based is powered by a 3-cylinder engine and has the 5-star seal of safety from the Euro NCAP. Most attributes of the iQ will be retained in the Cygnet but we can expect the latter to have the feel of luxury of an Aston Martin interior.

The CEO of Aston Martin, Ulrich Bez discussed with the media that the Cygnet still needs a lot of work and the car manufacturer is really excited as it goes into production in the near future.

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Anyone who loves cars knows what Aston Martin’s Vantage with a V12 engine can bring into their life. It is pretty much the adrenaline pump when you step on the pedal and hear the engine roaring and the carbon fiber reach body brings in the wow factor.

Aston Martin though is not sure if consumers in the United States will be able to experience in real life the difference between the sister V8 Vantage and the big bro V12 Vantage. They might be producing only 1000 units of the car and it might not be cost effective to redesign it to meet the tough crash safety regulations in the U.S.

It is not the end of the story though since Aston Martin is still studying the case. They might give in to a high demand but nothing is for certain yet.

The V12 Vantage is the fastest in the Aston Martin fleet with its power coming from a V12 5.9L that boasts of 510hp. It was originally designed to take a V8 and the V12 engine takes much of the space which should be reserved for crumple zones in case of a crash. Another problem is meeting the pedestrian crash safety requirements. The shell seats made of carbon fiber also does not meet the U.S. standards.

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A selection of V8 Vantage photos – 2009 Edition, Deep Red.

When a brand like Aston Martin makes a production car as fancy as the concept version, the whole world has all the reason to drool over the masterpiece. The Rapide production version was recently revealed in photos and the car is expected to deserve nothing but superlatives.

Aston Martin executives revealed that the Rapide will have a V12 engine under its hood. The engine is capable of producing 470 horse power and a torque of around 443 lb-ft.

The production version of Rapide will first be seen in flesh by September 2009. It will most likely take the spotlight during the Frankfurt Motor Show. It will be rolling out to the dealership as early as 2010 as Aston Martin’s first true sedan to go on production.

The Rapide is undeniably has the elegant sporty lines of the Aston Martin from head to tail. The side strake is well defined and the usual low chassis configuration will capture any body with keen eyes for car details.

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US enthusiasts will wince because Aston’s latest coupe will not be sold in the US market. Aston’s hottest two-seater coup faced legal issues with its engine and its lack of crash protection for passengers, namely side airbags on the bucket seats.

This is a pity because this newest Vantage borrows largely from US technology in terms of engine power. The Aston Martin V12 Vantage is currently the smallest and sexiest British sports car in the market today.

The Vantage V12 features a 6.0 liter engine, making it the most compact and efficient Vantage model to date. It can run with 510 hp, rivaling Ferrari’s lusty F430 Scuderia.

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Drawings of the production version of the super sedan Aston Martin Rapide was revealed to officially by the car manufacturer. This 180 mph mean machine is said to be ready for a head on competition with the Porsche Panamera.

The Rapide concept was first seen in the Detroit Auto Show in 2006. The production version has almost the same length as the concept car and uses the aluminum structure platform of the DB9.

The swage line that runs along the door and front ring distinguishes the styling of the Rapide. It is a feature similar to Henrik Fisker’s proposal for the V8 Vantage.

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That’s one lucky Aston Martin factory, if you ask me.

Debuted at the 1992 Geneva Motor Show, the Aston Martin Virage Shooting Brake never really was a financial success for Aston Martin. At over 150 thousand pounds, it was the most expensive Aston Martin ever seen, and with it’s non-expected look it never really caught on.

It’s estimated that 4 of these Aston Martin Virage Shooting Brakes were made — 3 in British Racing Green, one in Rosso Red — all with right hand drive & manual transmission.

Photos below gathered across the web and through e-mail (thanks, Jonas at Cars Blog!).